mizmor

Mizmor is a Hebrew term (מִזְמֹר) meaning "psalm" or "song," derived from the root zamar, "to sing." In the Hebrew Bible, mizmor appears as a heading or superscription at the start of many psalms, signaling a musical or liturgical composition. In English translations, it is typically rendered as "A Psalm" or "A Song," and is often paired with additional designations such as "A Psalm of David" (mizmor le-Dawid) or with instructions for musical accompaniment.

The exact musical sense of mizmor is not fully known, but it is generally treated as a category of sacred songs meant to be performed with instruments or choir. Mizmor is one of several genres used in the psalms, alongside terms like shir (song) and maskil (contemplation). The headings help classify the psalms by form or liturgical function, rather than simply by authorship.

In some headings, mizmor also conveys a specific liturgical purpose, such as a psalm for the choir, for the instruments, or for particular occasions like the Sabbath. These cues reflect how the psalms were used within ancient worship settings and how they may have been performed.

Today, mizmor appears in Jewish liturgical usage and in Christian Bible translations as part of the titles of psalms. Scholars study mizmor to understand the linguistic, musical, and liturgical dimensions of the biblical psalms and their use in ancient worship.